# Jacob Aborn — The Bungalow Mystery character guide > Jacob Aborn in The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Aborn, Mr. Aborn, the real Mr. Aborn **First appearance:** 0002-iii-a-new-friend ## Snapshot The guardian Laura has never met, a man whose nightly errands, locked doors, and stolen bundles make him look less like a protector than a jailer. ## Who they are Aborn exists first as an absence — a name in a telegram, a legal paper Laura half-remembers — and then as a pattern of small cruelties: locking his ward in, slipping out after dark with a bundle, returning empty-handed. He is the pressure that turns Laura's vague foreboding into evidence, and the reason Nancy cannot simply go home. Whether he is a cruel man or something stranger is the question the early chapters keep refusing to answer. ## Relationships ### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/nancy_drew) _rivalry_ Nancy actively investigates and outwits Aborn to thwart his criminal plans. ### [Laura Pendleton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/laura_pendleton) _psychological_ Aborn gaslights and controls Laura, pretending to be her guardian while stealing her fortune. ### [Stumpy Dowd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/stumpy_dowd) _professional_ Aborn employs Stumpy Dowd as a criminal accomplice to carry out his schemes against Laura and Nancy. ### [Helen Corning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/helen_corning) _rivalry_ Helen is suspicious of Aborn and actively opposes him alongside Nancy. ### [Hannah Gruen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/hannah_gruen) _rivalry_ Hannah distrusts Aborn and supports Nancy's efforts to expose him. ### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/nancy_drew) _rivalry_ Jacob Aborn is the main antagonist, a scheming lawyer who opposes Nancy's investigation into his fraudulent guardianship. ### [Laura Pendleton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/laura_pendleton) _psychological_ Aborn gaslights and controls Laura, pretending to be her guardian while stealing her fortune. ### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/nancy_drew) _rivalry_ Nancy actively investigates and outwits Aborn to thwart his criminal plans. ### [Laura Pendleton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/laura_pendleton) _psychological_ Aborn gaslights and controls Laura, pretending to be her guardian while stealing her fortune. ### [Stumpy Dowd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/stumpy_dowd) _professional_ Aborn employs Stumpy Dowd as a criminal accomplice to carry out his schemes against Laura and Nancy. ### [Stumpy Dowd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/stumpy_dowd) _professional_ Aborn employs Stumpy Dowd as a criminal accomplice to carry out his schemes against Laura and Nancy. ### [Helen Corning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/helen_corning) _rivalry_ Helen is suspicious of Aborn and actively opposes him alongside Nancy. ## In the story ### [A New Friend](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/iii-a-new-friend) Mentioned as Laura's court-appointed guardian, whom she has never met and fears. ### [Laura's Guardian](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/v-laura-s-guardian) Laura's guardian, portrayed as controlling, boastful, and cruel, insisting on immediate departure. ### [A Close Call](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/vii-a-close-call) Mentioned as Laura's guardian; Laura fears him and refuses to return to his bungalow. ### [VIII: Laura's Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/viii-laura-s-story) Laura's guardian, described as dictatorial and mean; forces Laura to work, withholds money, takes her fur coat, demands her mother's jewels, and makes nightly mysterious trips. ### [Nancy's Plan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/ix-nancy-s-plan) Mentioned as Laura's guardian; Nancy spots him walking rapidly away from the road with a bundle. ### [The Mysterious Bungalow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/x-the-mysterious-bungalow) The man Nancy follows; he disappears near the bungalow and later confronts Nancy as she investigates. ### [Ordered Away](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xi-ordered-away) Angrily confronts Nancy, accuses Laura of being unbalanced and a thief, and threatens Nancy with a stick. ### [XII: Nancy Bides Her Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xii-nancy-bides-her-time) Suspected of mischief and of intending to harm Laura; Nancy believes he was about to strike her earlier and is determined to uncover his game. ### [A Narrow Escape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xiii-a-narrow-escape) Searches Laura's room for jewels, mutters about her escape, and prepares a food bundle; his sinister plans for the night are hinted at. ### [Startling Revelations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xiv-startling-revelations) Packs suitcases, handles a weapon, opens a safe full of money, mutters the name 'Stumpy,' and is later found lying in the bungalow cellar. ### [A Familiar Face](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xv-a-familiar-face) Nancy believes she sees Jacob Aborn in the cellar, but his presence there is mysterious and unexplained. ### [XVI: What Nancy Discovered](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xvi-what-nancy-discovered) The real guardian of Laura Pendleton, imprisoned and impersonated by Stumpy Dowd for two weeks; reveals the plot to steal Laura's fortune. ### [A Desperate Situation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xvii-a-desperate-situation) The real Jacob Aborn is chained in the cellar, distraught that Laura is still in danger. ### [Left to Starve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xviii-left-to-starve) Chained and despairing, he watches Nancy work and is freed by her; he is desperate to protect Laura and stop Stumpy. ### [XIX: In Pursuit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xix-in-pursuit) Freed from the cellar but physically weak; struggles to walk, rests frequently, and collapses upon reaching the bungalow. ### [Nancy's Daring Action](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xx-nancy-s-daring-action) Left behind at the bungalow; Nancy sends a doctor to him. ### [Stumpy's Fate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xxiv-stumpy-s-fate) Revealed as Laura's real guardian; recovering from his ordeal and reunited with Laura. ### [Laura’s Gratitude](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/chapters/xxv-laura-s-gratitude) Recovered and making plans for Laura's future; expresses gratitude to Nancy. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters/jacob_aborn - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_bungalow_mystery_se/characters